Hostiles with Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike and other terrific actors. A harsh drama covering a harsher American west in the 1800s post civil war. A story about a U.S. cavalry soldiers (Bale) hatred of Indians and his coming to terms and redemption while on a harrowing trek. By far one of the gri...

Pacific Crucible by Ian Toll. Part one of a trilogy depicting the Pacific war in WW11. I actually read part two The Conquering Tide first as the reviews were so good. That was a mistake. They obviously are meant to be read in sequence. Toll is a seasoned writer and knows how to keep ones attention. ...

To someone who asks, what do you do all day I say "whatever I want". With regards to activities I like to say I let the day come to me. Agreed. 70 yo and retired 8 yrs. Further, Life Liberty and Happiness. I dropped the Pursuit part as i find i am happy not pursuing anything.......just being is eno...

For me: - Get the high impact items right, don't waste too much time on energy on low impact items - Don't focus on things you cannot control, focus your energy on how you can optimize within this framework of things you cannot control - Pulling from Amazons leadership principles, "commit and disag...

Don't know if this will help but I recently finished an interesting book "The Subtle Art of not Giving a F..." by Mark Hanson. Don't let the title turn you off. He touches on a few points that you may find helpful. Like having too many options and not committing. Certainly woke me up!

Once again many thanks to all my fellow Bogleheads who have responded on this thread and the many PMs I have received. Over the years that I have been a member the BH community has never failed to provide timely and very informative and helpful advice. Thank you all once again.

I go to the nearest Dollar Store and spend about $50 buying 50 gifts (plus those little bags so I don't have to wrap them and Xmas cards). Tooth brushes, glue sticks, perfume, candy, batteries, toilet paper etc you name it. General stuff that will get used at some point in the recipients year. Yes i...

An excursion from St. Petersburg to Tallinn, Estonia might be worthwhile. (I haven't done it, but would if I were in St. Petersburg.) Thanks, We do plan on looking outside the main cities. reggie Also you should look at the possibility of visiting Vilnius, Lithuania. And or Kaunas, Lithuania. Great...

Someone above mentioned Uber, and I second that suggestion. Removes the language barrier with taxis and helps you avoid scams. Not sure if pricing has changed in the last year or two, but it was obscenely cheap as well, to the point where I felt ashamed at how little the drivers were getting. A doz...

Traveled for 10 days/nights in Moscow and St. Petersburg two summers ago. For some context, we do not speak a lick of Russian (or any language other than English). Everything was planned on our own, including procuring visas (although this was easier being able to easily go to the consulate in NYC)...

My wife and I visited Moscow 3 years ago (stayed with a friend who was assigned there temporarily with his company). The visas were expensive - almost $400 each - but worth it. I loved Moscow. Such a vibrant city with lots of stuff to see and do. Great restaurants too (try White Rabbit if you get a...

Do Belarus and Baltics instead. I was curious as to what was in Belarus and it turns out there are four UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites:, two of which are castles. Then of course, there's the not-to-miss Polesie State Radioecological Reserve, which adjoins the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukr...

We spent 2 days in St. Petersburg with a tour guide as part of 2 week Baltic cruise. We had a great time and I was glad we had the guide for multiple reasons -- language, skip some lines at the major attractions, knew where to go in the most efficient manner, dedicated van w/ driver following us ar...

Withdrawing the correct RMD amount in shares of the asset. I'm not selling those shares in the IRA to generate the cash to pay the tax. Then transferring those shares intact so I can still collect the income the asset is generating. The taxes will be paid from cash generated in my taxable account.

Its a personal decision that is fraught with many unknowns. Lifestyle and the changes that take place in the various stages of life, childrens issues, illness, etc. And of course the inevitable economic downturns. Try withdrawing 3 or 4% when your net has dropped 40%! To some degree you are "timing ...

There may be Visa issuance delays given the closure of Russian outposts in the U.S., incl. San Francisco, I believe. It's a hassle anyway, getting all the documentation. I did St. Petersburg while the World Cup was underway in Germany. The city was empty and I had the Hermitage to myself, but had e...

Agree strongly with recommendation to learn Cyrillic alphabet beforehand. I found this especially helpful in translating street signs. If you are a foodie, I am a big fan of Georgian food which you can find readily there. Khachapuri (cheese bread), pkhali (vegetable and walnut dips/salads), khinkal...

I've been to St Petersburg twice, once about 17 years ago, and then within the past 3 years. My husband has traveled there for work without me. Our first trip to St Petersburg, we had a guide for most of our sight seeing and it was money well spent. Previous to this, I had been the sort of person w...

I haven't been to Moscow, but St. Petersburg was a great trip. I agree that it was more difficult to get around / speak in English than in Western Europe, but it is very possible. The central city is walkable, and the train lines are very efficient. Do not skip the Hermitage or Church on Spilled Bl...

Plenty of English spoken and seen in the touristy parts of Moscow and St. Petersburg these days, including on the excellent (and beautiful) metro systems. In order to get a visa you need an invitation from a hotel or a host. Most of them will charge you extra in order to supply such an invitation. ...

My wife and I plan on a trip to Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg) next October. Probably fly into Moscow and out of St. Pete. Any recommendations from seasoned travelers would be appreciated. Yup..... wife and I did a Viking Riverboat from Moscow to Saint Petersburg last summer.. oops, summer of 2...

1. Take an over-night train from Moscow to St Petersburg, or the other way around, and try a real Russian tea served by the train conductor. We took the high-speed train from Moscow to St. Petersburg during the day, and being able to see some of the countryside was very cool. In addition, some othe...

I have left the USSR over thirty years ago and have not been back. Obviously, a lot has changed since then, but some authentic experiences probably remain: 1. Take an over-night train from Moscow to St Petersburg, or the other way around, and try a real Russian tea served by the train conductor. 2....

I haven't been to Moscow, but St. Petersburg was a great trip. I agree that it was more difficult to get around / speak in English than in Western Europe, but it is very possible. The central city is walkable, and the train lines are very efficient. Do not skip the Hermitage or Church on Spilled Bl...

I haven't been to Moscow, but St. Petersburg was a great trip. I agree that it was more difficult to get around / speak in English than in Western Europe, but it is very possible. The central city is walkable, and the train lines are very efficient. Do not skip the Hermitage or Church on Spilled Bl...

My wife and I plan on a trip to Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg) next October. Probably fly into Moscow and out of St. Pete. Any recommendations from seasoned travelers would be appreciated. Went there in 1969 - then the Soviet Union ... If you do not know any Russian, spend 15-30 minutes and lea...

Are you taking an arranged tour? Unless you speak Russian, it's not easy to do Russia by yourselves. Not true at all. Also don’t believe anything you hear in the media about Russia. What exactly are you wanting recommendations for? Airbnb for lodging. I stayed in some amazing places (5 min walk fro...

Are you taking an arranged tour? Unless you speak Russian, it's not easy to do Russia by yourselves. Actually wide open to any form of travel. We have been in similar situations where English was a rarity (China in 1979 comes to mind) but we will certainly heed your advice before we set forth. We a...

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a [(removed) --admin LadyGeek] by Mark Manson (sold a million+ so far). A buddy of mine recently had a near death experience and came across this book during his convalescence. Being highly recommended I bought it and started reading it before I went to sleep. As I typic...

Took it at 62 because: My best friend died at 65. A very close friend is now dying of pancreatic cancer at 64. My favorite M.D. died recently of cancer at 63. My lunch partner had an unexpected near fatal heart attack. He is 65. My gym rat buddy suffered an acute appendicitis at 63. My father died ...

I have owned 2 cars whose brake lines failed under 150,000 miles. Its a serious shock to put your foot on the brake and it hits the floor as you keep going! Unless you like the feeling of your stomach moving up your throat its not worth the "thrill". How to prevent this from happening? Change the l...